Meet the Parents
by blueskydog
Summary: Carlos has a conference with Fairy Godmother, and Jane gets to meet Cruella de Vil.
1. Part One

This is my first venture into the fandom, so I hope I do it justice.  
Borrows elements from both the movies and the books, with a few original tidbits thrown in by me.

* * *

_Part One_

"You wanted to see me?" Carlos inched through the doorway of Fairy Godmother's office, clutching his disconcerting amount of notebooks, folders, and textbooks to his chest. He didn't appreciate that Jay kept nicking his backpack. Old habits shouldn't die _that_ hard.

"Bibbity boppity, yes I do!" Fairy Godmother chirped.

Carlos instantly wondered if he was in trouble. Fairy Godmother only bippity-boppitied if she was feeling emphatic or surprised.

"Come in, sit." She ushered him in with flapping hands, indicating the comfily padded chair in front of her desk. Carlos stepped the rest of the way in and maneuvered his load around the arms of the chair, sitting awkwardly with them in his lap. Fairy Godmother's desk was festooned with sticky notes and stacks of brightly colored papers held down with inspirational paperweights, sporting such proverbs as _A good grade is an effort your brain makes._

Fairy Godmother couldn't seem to keep her hands still; they fluttered around her and across the desk as she spoke, re-positioning the nearest stack of sticky notes over and over. She seemed to always feel the need to stay busy; sitting at a desk was a far cry from her usual merry bustling about.

"So," Carlos started.

But just as he opened his mouth, Fairy Godmother began to speak. "As you know by now, this being your second year at Auradon Prep, I have a policy to meet with students for a twice yearly midterm check-in."

Carlos tilted his head. "But Midterms were two weeks ago." Whoever had decided to schedule the Cotillion the week of Midterms should be grateful no one knew who they were, lest they received multiple angry emails from students.

"I thought the conferences were cancelled because of the, well, the whole thing with Uma, and the dragon fight, and all that," Carlos said.

Fairy Godmother nodded. "Yes, well, I've decided to reschedule instead of cancel."

No one else had mentioned anything about having a conference with Fairy Godmother today. Mal would certainly have complained about having to schedule a meeting with Fairy Godmother, whom she saw on a regular basis anyway as a recently delegated Lady of the Court. Carlos wondered if he were the first one.

"So," Fairy Godmother went on. She opened a file folder lying in front of her on the desk, which Carlos had not noticed before. He realized it must be _his_ folder. He felt a few beads of sweat forming around his temples.

_Chill, dog,_ he told himself. _It's been weeks since you've done anything really wicked._ There couldn't be anything too bad in there.

"Looking at your grades," Fairy Godmother said, "I see you got a B+ in Remedial Goodness 101."

"Yes," Carlos said, a little confused. That had been months ago, and Fairy Godmother had been the teacher of that class. She shouldn't have to read his file to remember his grade. He'd been one of exactly four students in that class.

Fairy Godmother nodded. "And I see you are also doing well in Remedial Goodness 102," she said, turning a page in his file.

"So far I've gotten mostly A's," he ventured. But again he was a little confused. He was currently taking that class with Fairy Godmother, and she'd just handed in their midterms last week (which he'd aced, by the way).

"I'm also doing well in Chemistry and the History of Heroism," he pointed out. He was hoping that counted for something and Fairy Godmother wasn't just focused on his improvement as a former villain.

Fairy Godmother nodded again. he noticed she seemed a bit distracted, not really meeting his gaze. "And the topic for your misterm paper?" she said.

"How having an emotional support animal can help you rewire your brain for goodness?" She _had_ to remember. There were only four papers she'd had to read. It was pretty obvious he hadn't written Jay's paper on the positive effects of athletics on one's morale compass (_morale,_ he pointed out, _not moral_) or Evie's presentation on how fashion can be used as inspiration for redemption. He wasn't sure what Mal had written. He suspected she passed by virtue of turning into a dragon and saving Auradon from Uma, which didn't really seem fair, since the rest of them had helped save the day too. But he'd been happy to write about animals (with Dude as his inspiration, of course).

"Yes, of course," Fairy Godmother said, pulling out what Carlos assumed to be a copy of his paper, based on its significant length and the faint traces of pawprints on the back. "I especially appreciate the section on how emotional bonding increases the presence of 'happy chemicals,' and, when paired with a regular routine of practicing _goodness mindfulness,_ can cause the brain to connect the two and make them 'partners in practice.'"

Carlos had been particularly proud of that line. He smiled when Fairy Godmother read it and cast him an approving glance.

"Would you say this emotional bonding, and its subsequent positive effects, can be extended to human relationships?"

"Uh." Carlos's eyes widened. Was this a new step in the process? Was she asking him to defend his thesis? He wished he'd known ahead of time so he could prepare. Flash cards would be handy right now.

"I'd have to do more research," he said. "The topic of the paper really focused on pets."

"Hm." Fairy Godmother put the paper back in the folder. "Overall, how do you feel about your progress in school?"

"My grades are getting better," Carlos said proudly. He'd always been a good student (even when that was considered "bad" by some back on the Isle), and though it had taken a while to get used to the heroes' teaching styles and the focus on punctuality and civility in the classroom, he was happy to see his F's from the first few weeks (when he was still a villain) grow to C's and B's and finally, this semester, some A's.

"Yes, yes, very good," Fairy Godmother said. "And what about…" she tilted her head left and right, eyes shifting slightly upward, in an exaggerated expression of mental searching. "Your overall goodness level?"

Carlos had hardly been the baddest of the bad to begin with. A low-life hood, sure, a bit callous, okay, but not to the extent of wanting to take over kingdoms or spell people into loving you (no offense, Mal). He liked to think _goodness_ was something he didn't struggle with quite as much as his fellow VKs, whose nastiness was driven from years of training and manipulation, rather than from the fear and intimidation Carlos had experienced from Cruella. After escaping her clutches and bonding with Dude, his penchant for politeness and consideration had picked up a bit more quickly than, say, Jay's, who still had a habit of taking things that didn't belong to him (case in point: Carlos's backpack).

But he wasn't sure now was the time to get into all of that with Fairy Godmother.

"I think my _good_ grades are indicative of that," he said, hoping she'd chuckle at the pun. She merely looked at him with her signature bright but unchanging smile. "Also my involvement in extra-curriculars?" he ventured. In addition to tagging along with whichever athletic team Jay wanted his "brain" to join in, Carlos was also a member of Auradon's SCREAM (Science Connecting Robotics, Engineering, Arts, and Magic) Club, and applying to be a Teaching Assistant for the school's Ethical Hacking course, which he'd aced. If only he could hear back about that credit overload waiver.

"Hm, yes, I see," Fairy Godmother said. "All of that is indeed admirable. I'd say you've come a long way from…" she trailed off, then cleared her throat. "When we first met."

Carlos vividly remembered the blanket incident and falling out of the limo, and how his first interaction with anyone on Auradon was to be chastised, something he'd been hoping to escape when leaving his mother behind.

"How do you feel about your transformation?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"Transformation? Uh." Carlos shifted in his seat as he felt one of his notebooks sneaking down his knees. "I'd call it…character development?"

"Why the distinction?" Fairy Godmother asked. She was still smiling sweetly, but there seemed to be a bit of a challenge there, too.

"Well…" Carlos tried to put it into words. "I don't feel like I've _transformed._ That makes it sounds like I'm an entirely different person."

"Aren't you?" Fairy Godmother interjected. "You're not a villain anymore."

"Well, yes and no," Carlos persisted. "I may not be a villain anymore, but I'll always be a VK. It's part of who I am. It doesn't mean I want to go back to being, uh, wicked, but _transformation_ makes it sound like I'm something entirely different. Irreversible. Which I'm not."

Fairy Godmother's eyebrows raised almost darkly.

Carlos quickly continued. "What that means is, I'm _choosing_ good," he said. "It was _hard._ But I chose it. And I keep choosing it. I think that's a little more powerful than _transforming._ Don't you?"

Fairy Godmother's expression didn't change at first, and Carlos felt himself slowly shrinking into himself, afraid this answer had gotten him into trouble.

But after a few (chest-knocking) heartbeats, Fairy Godmother's eyebrows lowered, relaxing her face, and she gave an approving nod. "I can see that. Thank you, Carlos."

Carlos relaxed. "Is that all?" he asked.

Fairy Godmother shook her head. "One more question. How do you think your goodness manifests in your personal life? Outside of school?"

Carlos wasn't sure what that had to do with his academics. Wasn't that what he was here for—academics?

"How so?" he asked.

"I just want to make sure your good choices extend beyond the classroom," Fairy Godmother said. "For example, with your classmates, your friends…" she made that exaggerated thinking expression again "…your dates…"

Carlos opened and closed his mouth once, then blurted out, "Are you vetting me?"

Fairy Godmother's eyes snapped back towards his. He flinched, but noticed she didn't seem angry. She almost seemed…sheepish.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked evasively.

"Is this about me and Jane?" Carlos asked. "Are you…interviewing me? For the position of being her boyfriend?"

"Well," Fairy Godmother said, "I wouldn't call it _that…_"

Carlos felt something slightly warm in his chest. "You're making sure I'm going to be good to your daughter."

Fairy Godmother pursed her lips.

Carlos gave a tentative, shy smile. "I really like Jane," he said quietly. "And…I think she likes me."

"That's good," Fairy Godmother said.

Carlos nodded eagerly. "It is. It's _good,_" he emphasized. "I mean—we're _good._ I'm _good._ I'm going to be good. For her. And just good. You know. For goodness's sake. And…yeah." He realized he was rambling a little.

Fairy Godmother's lips were set in a straight line, but seemed to be quirking at the edges. Carlos couldn't tell if she was fighting a smile or a frown.

"You promise?" she said severely.

Carlos nodded. "I swear on a magical pumpkin carriage," he said, trying to be clever.

"The one that disappears when the clock strike twelve?" Fairy Godmother said dryly.

Carlos gulped slightly, wracking his brain for a better metaphor. "Uh…"

Fairy Godmother chuckled, her face melting back into her warm smile. "Carlos, I'm kidding," she said.

Carlos relaxed slightly, giving a short, nervous chuckle. "Oh."

"I hope you can understand," Fairy Godmother said. "I'm very protective of Jane. She's never dated…"

Carlos's shoulder slumped, and a familiar lump of shame formed in his throat. "A villain's kid?" he mumbled, casting his eyes towards the mess of schoolwork in his lap.

"A classmate," Fairy Godmother said.

Carlos looked back up at Fairy Godmother. "Yeah?"

Fairy Godmother nodded. "She's not the greatest at picking up hints, as you've probably noticed," she said. "Most of her, shall we say, romantic encounters have been online. It's a self-esteem thing, I hear. She's so certain of her unattractiveness, inside and out, that she doesn't understand when the boys flirt with her."

Carlos felt a pang of sadness for Jane. She was so amazing. So kind and funny and thoughtful and smart. And cute. It was unfortunate she couldn't see that for herself.

"You're the first 'guy' of hers I've met," Fairy Godmother said. "And I am Fairy Godmother, after all. I look out for my little pumpkin."

Carlos thought of echoing her crack about the pumpkin carriage, but decided his luck had probably run out as far as humor went today.

"I will be good," he promised. "I really like Jane."

Fairy Godmother cast him her warmest smile yet. "I'm sure you do. And she likes you, too. For the record."

Carlos sat up a bit straighter, pleased to hear that from Fairy Godmother. "Does she talk about me?"

"She talks about you a lot," Fairy Godmother said. "I feel a little silly that I didn't see this coming."

Carlos's friends had seen this coming for a while. It was painfully obvious to them, to the point of irritation. If Jane hadn't also been his friend, Jay might have banned her name from conversation within their dorm, tired as he was of hearing Carlos complain about his numerous failed attempts to ask her out.

Carlos been into Jane pretty much as soon as the whole Coronation debacle was over with. Seeing her sitting alone on the bench, sulking while everyone else celebrated, reminded him of how many parties he'd ducked out of himself, certain that no one would notice his absence (even the howler he himself had planned way back at the Isle). He and Jay had gone to sit with her and eventually pull her into the merriment. Jay had wandered off after that, but Carlos had stayed with Jane, and they'd just started talking. He didn't even remember what they'd talked about, but when he finally saw her smile, hours later, it had been the highlight of his night. Well, after saving Auradon from the villains, of course.

"But know," Fairy Godmother said warningly, snapping Carlos out of his reverie, "I _am_ a fairy. And I'm not above using magic for personal reasons."

Carlos's eyes widened as he tried to come up with a response.

Fairy Godmother laughed. "I'm kidding again." She reached across her desk to bop his nose, somewhat of a feat, given she wasn't the tallest fairy in the world. "You'd better get used to it," she added with a wink. "I've been told I'm simply a riot at family game nights."

Carlos's heart lifted at the idea of being invited to family game nights.

Fairy Godmother made a shooing motion with her hands. "Alright, alright," she said. "Conference over. I'll see you on Thursday for our next class session."

Carlos jumped up, his body energized with a tumult of mixed emotions. He regretted it, though, when his books and papers fell from his lap and onto a mess on the floor. He groaned audibly.

"Oh, that reminds me." Fairy Godmother turned in her chair and reached behind her, turning back around with Carlos's backpack in her hands.

"Where'd you find it?" Carlos exclaimed, gratefully taking it from her.

"Let's just say Jay is going to have to get some extra credit to work off some of his lower grades," Fairy Godmother said cryptically.

Carlos crammed his books and papers into his backpack and stood back up straight. He nodded awkwardly at Fairy Godmother.

"Thanks," he said.

Fairy Godmother smiled. "See you later, Carlos."

Carlos turned and headed back out the door. As he slung his backpack onto his back, he heard something crinkling. He felt around and pulled a piece of paper from the small pocket on the side. He unfolded it, reading the text within as he walked down the hallway towards the dorms.

_Bippity boppity well done, Carlos._

Carlos smiled.


	2. Part Two

_Just a heads up, this part won't be quite as lighthearted as the first one._

* * *

So it wasn't love at first sight (or love anything, maybe, she wasn't sure, it's a pretty powerful word with a lot of baggage tied to it, especially in the fairytale-like world, where true love came with quite a bit of pressure), but Carlos had always seemed to Jane to be a nice guy. Even when he was running around with the other villain kids, it's not like he was locking anyone in towers or tearing other people's clothing. (No, she'd done that one herself.) And after the whole Coronation thing, and being grounded for what seemed like forever (basically the rest of the semester; it would have been longer if Mal hadn't stood up for her), it seemed like Carlos had been the one who was there for her.

Yeah, he jumped at the littlest of things. Yes, he was distractible and seemed to forget what he was saying half the time or trail off and stare into space as if remembering something or coming up with another one of his mind-boggling computer theories. And yes, he was regarded with suspicion by many of Jane's other friends…but then, they hadn't really been her friends, had they? Despite their reputation for being the descendants of some of the world's most dastardly villains, the VKs seemed to be some of the most genuine people Jane had ever met. Especially Carlos, who was very sweet, a great listener, and someone she could joke around with about anything. At first, it had been great to just have a friend like Carlos. But as time went on, Jane started to see Carlos as even more special than before.

Of course she never said anything. Because no matter how amazing Carlos was, there was no way he'd be into her.

So it was a little embarrassing that it took her so long to read the signs. But here they were, happily together, holding hands in the hallways, texting each other about their days, and going on actual real dates (when they weren't running from evil, of course, or in Carlos's case, running towards evil—she really hoped his self-sacrificing streak would die down eventually).

And here they were, sitting next to each other, sides touching, she with her hand clasped around both of his in his lap.

Here they were, sitting in companionable silence on the front steps of the library.

And, oh right, here they were…waiting to see Cruella de Ville.

Jane glanced at Carlos. "Hey?" She leaned forward, tilting herself into his line of vision. "How are you doing?"

His eyes were fixed on nothing, which was a hard thing to do, since nothing is, well, nothing, and hard to fix on.

She nudged his shoulder his hers. "Carlos?"

"S-sorry," he said, blinking and turning his face towards the ground. "Just nervous."

Jane nodded. "I get that."

It was a bit chilly outside, though the sun shone in a bright blue sky. Summer was coming to an end. Jane sighed regretfully, but tried to focus on the matter at hand. She was about to meet her boyfriend's mother. Who was a villain.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Jane said.

Carlos gave a firm nod. "I want her to meet you. She's a villain, but she's still my mom. So that matters to me."

"Of course it does," Jane said. "No matter what she's done, she'll always be your mom. And if you can change, so can she."

Carlos gave a dry chuckle. "I'm not so sure about that. Tread lightly, okay? And if she pulls anything," he added, turning to Jane seriously, "Let me handle it. I don't want you getting into it with her."

Jane nodded.

"I'm not her minion anymore," Carlos said, half to himself. "I'm better than that now. I'm stronger now."

"So very strong." Jane let go of his hands to give him a hug, slightly awkward since they were side by side. He gave her a warm smile.

"Carlos?"

They both jumped at the voice. Jane turned to see a guard stepping out of the doorway of the library. "You can come in now."

Jane looked back to Carlos. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he sighed.

They stood together, holding hands again, and walked into the library.

Currently, some of the more notorious villains—Cruella de Ville included—were residing in the room where Maleficent had been kept since her reptilian transformation. The somber chamber had been redesigned into a not-so-bad looking set of rooms the villains now called home. Under lock and key, of course. Yes, the barrier was down, and yes, villains and heroes had formed a truce, but there were some who needed just a bit more time to…adjust…before being allowed to re-enter society.

The guard led them towards the chambers, unlocking the large door, and guided them towards the series of smaller doors that indicated they had reached the villains' quarters. The guard stopped outside one of the doors. Of course, it was painted black-and-white, though thankfully not in Dalmatian patterns.

The guard knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice barked from the other side.

Carlos gulped as the guard opened the door. He squared his shoulders, gave Jane a quick, brave smile, and they stepped into the room.

The room was situated with a bed, a bedside drawer, a small TV, and a desk and lamp. There was a small window, positioned so high it was almost touching the ceiling. It allowed a thin beam of light into the room, giving everything a grayish tinge. The lamp was switched off, so it wasn't helping much.

Lounging on the bed was a woman with shocking black-and-white hair, bedecked in plush furs, also black-and-white. Jane supposed that Carlos had inherited her aesthetic, if not her penchant for wicked deeds.

She was lying backwards in the bed, feet propped up on the headboard. She held two fingers to her lips, which she occasionally drew away as she exhaled. It took Jane a while to realize she was pretending to smoke a cigarette.

"Carlos, darling!" Cruella de Ville squealed, sitting up, but not rising from the bed.

Carlos let go of Jane's hand as his arms dropped to his sides. "Hi, mom."

"How are you, child?" Cruella said, eyeing him from head to toe. "What's with the new look?"

Not so bad so far, Jane thought. She looked at Carlos hopefully, but he was rigid and his face had turned as pale as the better part of his hair.

"Um." He swallowed. Though he'd kept the black-and-white theme, his clothes had matured alongside him, and he'd ditched the red jacket. "Do you like it?"

Cruella sniffed. "Your sense of style always was abysmal."

Jane didn't see anything wrong with Carlos's style; she thought he always dressed adorably.

Carlos shrugged.

"How's that dog of yours?" Cruella's nose turned up in a sneer. "Still not fulfilling its true purpose?"

Jane's brow furrowed in confusion, but when she looked at Carlos again, his reactions were still minimal. But she could see him grinding his teeth.

"Dude is fine," he said. "And for the record, he is fulfilling his true purpose. As my best friend."

Cruella pretended to puff smoke in his direction. Carlos flinched, as if the vapors had actually touched him.

"Always so pitiful," she said with a sigh. "I thought I raised you better, darling."

Jane cleared her throat. Cruella gave her a side eye.

"Hi, Ms. de Ville," Jane said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Is it?" Cruella asked.

Jane stuttered a moment, not sure how to respond, and settled on simply stating her name. "I'm Jane."

Cruella leaned back, holding herself upright on the bed with a hand behind her back for support. "Jane? Jane, what? Plain Jane? Such an unfortunate choice of dress." She clucked her tongue, eyeing Jane's simple, solid-color skirt and top. "What are you, the maid?"

Jane's jaw went slack at the ire in Cruella's voice. She looked to Carlos for help, indignant at the insults. But Carlos was staring at the floor, motionless.

"I—I beg your pardon?" Jane stammered, turning back to Cruella.

"That's a good girl. But I'm afraid I don't have any pardons to spare, so you'll have to bring your begging back another day."

Half of what she was saying didn't even make sense to Jane, but Cruella's voice and mannerisms old her most of it was demeaning.

Cruella pretended to puff more smoke, and Jane swore she could smell it tickling at her nose. She fought the urge to sneeze, refusing to give Cruella the satisfaction. "Now, why don't you run along and get us some refreshments, darling? My boy and I have a lot of catching up to do."

"What?" Jane shook her head. "That's not why I'm here. Carlos?" She turned to him again, poking his elbow, but he still wasn't moving.

"Then whatever are you here for, girl?"

"I'm Carlos's girlfriend," she blurted out. "I'm here to meet you. Since you're his mom."

Cruella started, then looked to Carlos, then threw back her head and laughed.

"Is that a joke?" she cackled. "My son? A girlfriend?"

"What's so funny?" Jane asked, bewildered.

"Darling, you amuse me." Cruella settled back down, smirking again.

"She is," Carlos muttered.

"Oh, don't be absurd. There's no room in our lives for that. Now come sit with mummy. I need someone to fix my hair."

Jane looked at Carlos, alarmed when she saw him nod and start to walk forward. She grabbed his arm.

"Carlos, you don't have to do that," she said.

"Oh, leave us alone," Cruella snapped. "Stop wasting my boy's time with your simpering. And while you're at it, you should look into this thing called makeup. It would do wonders for your ghastly complexion. Or maybe not, who knows what would work on a sack like yours."

Jane's jaw dropped again at the absurdly rude comments. She looked at Carlos, hoping he would stand up for her against his horrible mother.

"Carlos?" she said.

He shrugged, not even looking at her.

She let go of him. "Wow," she muttered. "So much for good impressions."

Cruella laughed again. "You don't know my son. Don't waste your time, darling. He's nothing but a disappointment. I mean really, leaving behind all his wicked ways to join a bunch of sappy, what do they call themselves, heroes? Such a pity, such a waste. Do you know how ashamed you've made me?" She turned back to Carlos bitterly. "I've been the laughingstock. The stress is absolutely horrible for my skin. And all those furs, so neglected, that you left behind. My one true love."

Carlos was still looking at the floor as he slowly shuffled towards his mother. Jane stared after him. What was he doing? Was he just going to stand there and take all that? What about introducing her? What about standing up for her? What about telling off his mother or trying to make her see how different he was and how far he'd come from being a villain's kid?

Or maybe he hadn't, and that's why he was running back to her as soon as he got the chance.

Jane swallowed against the growing lump in her throat, causing her to choke out a cough.

Cruella turned back to her. "Are you still here? I told you to go. Scram."

Jane turned on her heel, leaving Carlos staring at the floor, and clipped out of the room, breaking into a run as soon as she stepped back outdoors.

* * *

I'm mean. This part got long and I decided to make this story 3 parts instead of 2. So here's a nice cliffhanger for you.


	3. Part Three

Final installment. Hope you all enjoyed the story!

* * *

Jane was reading by the light of a lantern, crickets chirping in the decorative bushes, sitting slumped on the stone bench as she tried to focus on the book she held in her hands.

She heard a set of familiar footsteps and sensed someone sitting on the bench next to her, but she refused to look up.

It was agonizing waiting in the silence that followed, but she forced her face to stay pointed towards the book.

She jumped slightly when he finally started talking.

"I have this recurring dream," he said. "I'm in her house again. Sometimes I'm back in the closet. All those furs. And it's dark. Like it was. And there's the traps on the other side, and it's just my mattress and the safe door. Except this time the door is locked. I can't get out. And I know she's there. She's got me locked in. And I can hear her. Sometimes she's laughing at me, and sometimes she's yelling at me."

Jane swallowed; the lump had returned.

"Sometimes I'm able to break out but all the doors and windows in the house are always locked. And I can hear her, and I know she's there. Sometimes I see her and it's—all over again. Sometimes I make it to the second floor balcony and I can look out. And I see my friends in the street. And I yell at them to come and help me. But they can't hear me. Or my voice isn't working. Or she grabs me, and pulls me away, and…"

Jane finally looked up at him, and saw him folded over on himself, arms wrapped around his torso, staring at nothing again.

He took a shaky breath. "It always feels so real. And when I wake up, sometimes I can't remember that I'm not there anymore. Sometimes I wake up Dude or Jay because I'm panicking."

She listened silently.

"It's been such a long time since I've seen her," he said quietly. "I was starting to get her voice out of my head. I wasn't having the dream as much."

Jane folded the book and let it slide onto the bench next to her, hugging herself against the chill in the air.

"And then I saw her today." His voice was diminishing to a whisper. "And it all came back. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't think. I wanted to be brave. I wanted to stand up to her. And stand up for you. But I couldn't. Because I'm scared. She makes me scared. And I'm weak. Because I always go back. I would go back. If she took me I would go back. Because I don't know anything else."

"But you know this now," Jane said. "Auradon. Your friends. And you know me."

Carlos nodded. "I do," he whispered. "But I still hear her voice in my head."

His hands reached up to cover his ears, as if that would stop the noises in his mind. Jane couldn't stand being distant anymore; she slid closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, tightening her grip when she felt him shaking.

"It's okay," she told him. "You're away from her right now."

"I'm sorry." His voice cracked. "I shouldn't have brought you. That must have been so horrible for you."

"Not as horrible as it must have been for you." Jane felt guilty for being angry at him. She'd gotten into plenty of fights with her mother—who didn't fight with their mothers?—and even though she wouldn't describe herself as the bravest person ever, most of the time she was able to stand up for herself, especially now that she was older. But she forgot that Carlos was different. And Cruella was different. If Jane could see the mean side of Fairy Godmother—Fairy Godmother, for goodness's sake—what must it be like to face the anger of a parent who's an abusive villain?

"But there's one thing I don't understand," Jane said. She gently pulled Carlos's hands away from his ears, and smoothed the hair around his face. "I can see how horrible she must be, but doesn't she love you at all? She called you her one true love."

Carlos gave a sticky laugh. "She wasn't talking about me."

"No?" Jane said, drawing back in surprise.

Carlos shook his head. "She was talking about her furs."

Jane felt her heart breaking. "Oh, Carlos." She hugged him again, feeling him lean into her slightly.

"She might love me, a little," he said quietly. "In her own weird, twisted way. I mean, she kept me. And she trusted me to help her with stuff."

"But that doesn't excuse the other things she did. She made you sleep in a closet?"

She felt Carlos tense and start to lean away; she shook her head vigorously and pulled him back. "Never mind. You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It's okay."

She wanted to say, _No, it's not okay,_ but stating the obvious probably wasn't going to help much. She shifted until she was facing him from the front and he could wrap his arms around her if he wanted, which he did.

"You don't have to see her again," Jane said.

"Yeah, I do," Carlos said. "She's my mom."

"Well, if you do, I can come with you." But maybe that wasn't the best idea, after what happened today. "Or not," she amended. "Just let me know. I can come or not come. Whatever you need."

She felt him nod against her shoulder.

"Do you want to go inside?" she asked.

"Not yet," he said.

She hugged him a little bit tighter.

"Thank you," Carlos whispered.

It started to rain after a while—didn't it always at moments like this?—and they stood up from the bench, letting go of each other. Jane grabbed Carlos's hand before they started walking, and she felt him pull her a bit closer. They headed down the path towards the garden gate.

"Do you want to stay at my mom's place with us tonight?" Jane asked. "She could make us cookies."

"Chocolate chip cookies?" Carlos asked.

Jane wondered why that was significant. "Sure."

"I'd like that," he said.

Jane nodded. "I'll text her."

The cookies were ready by the time they reached the house. If Fairy Godmother noticed the multiple typos in the text she received from Jane, she didn't say anything. She managed to make out most of the words, which was fortunate, because Jane had been typing on her phone one-handed. She wasn't going to let go of Carlos anytime soon.


End file.
